In human solid cancer, the nodal status is the most important prognostic indicator for patients' outcome. Recent developments in the sentinel lymph node (SLN) concept and technology have resulted in the application of such a procedure to define the first draining node or SLN that the cancer will metastasize to. In the upcoming symposium, the process of lymphangiogensis and hemangiogenesis by cancer cells will be carefully addressed. Whether the cancer spreads through the lymphatic system initially (incubator hypothesis) or simultaneosly through the lymphatic and vascular system (marker hypothesis) will be scrutinized. Immunity to cancer will be examined. The role of stem cells as the primary cell population to metastasize will be addressed. Advances in molecular imaging of cancer will be summarized and the use of nanoparticles for cancer detection will be explored. Molecular targeting against molecules involved in proliferation, signalling pathways and apoptosis will be discussed. Genomic signatures of cancer will be explored. This timely symposium will bring together the basic scientists and clinicians from the US and abroad to ask the critical question of the role of the lymphovascular system in cancer metastasis and develop logical strategies to curb its spread. After participating in this symposium, attendees should be able to: 1) understand the mechanisms of tumor proliferation in the tumor microenvironment; 2) describe the mechanisms of metastasis through the lymphovascular system; 3) recognize the role of stem cells in cancer metastasis; 4) appreciate the potential use of nanoparticles in molecular imaging; 5) grasp the incubator and marker hypothesis; 6) correlate the tumor burden in SLNs and clinical outcome; 7) comprehend immune responses of draining lymph nodes against cancer; 8) explain the rationale of adopting molecular therapeutics against growth factor receptors, apoptosis factors, signaling pathways and angiogenesis; and 9) learn about the genomic signatures of cancer for correlation with clinical outcome. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]